Cheval Manor has been home to Dennis Antolik's Austin Polo Club for
years but will be moving in the fall to a new Tuscan-themed polo/equine
development called "The Vineyard" just north of Austin in
Florence. Dennis' partner, Eleanor Boatwright, will manage Cheval
Manor. Cheval Manor will still host polo practices and lessons,
but its real mission is to have a variety of equine
disciplines--fulfilling a vision the two have had for a long time.

Eleanor has managed many large horse businesses before.
Originally from Atlanta, she started her riding career as a
hunter/jumper rider and qualified for all major indoors. She also
rode in the United States Equestrian Team (USET) finals and the McClay
finals. Her passion was for the jumpers and she had a successful show
career in the East. Continuing her career in the horse business,
she managed a large Quarter horse breeding facility in North
Carolina. She moved to Austin in January after running a large
hunter/jumper barn in Kentucky for several years. Now she
relishes the milder Austin winters as they pale compared to the severe
Kentucky winter weather.

Cheval Manor today is blooming into a premier urban equine
location. It is set on well-drained expansive rolling
hills. Currently it offers full care boarding in any one of its
24 12 x 12 luxurious stalls with daily turn out. There is pasture
boarding as well in safe pipe-fenced spacious paddocks, and a round
pen, too. There are two riding arenas--one measures 150' x 300',
and the other 100' x 200'. There is also the ten-acre manicured
and irrigated polo field, along with cut trails throughout the
property. Eventually the owners plan to build a covered arena and
more barns and paddocks. Although breeding is not a
primary focus for Cheval Manor, foaling out mares is an option
here. Both the owners of the facility and the barn manager live
on site. Eleanor has gained many international contacts in her
professional life and occasionally will import horses for clients and
serve as a sales agent.

Coaching hunter/jumpers riders is one of her loves and this spring and
summer she will begin taking clients to "A" shows as some of her
Kentucky students will travel down here specifically for that reason.

But it's not just the physical plant that stands out here, it's the
guidance and vision of the owners as well. Both Eleanor and
Dennis foresee hosting clinics of many types. Cheval Manor will
serve as a fusion of equine education in areas such as hunter/jumper,
dressage, eventing, reining. Also, having spent 20 years in the
movie business finding and training horses for movies and working with
the human actors, Eleanor does not mind sharing her expertise in movie
wrangling. She has worked on such movies as Something to Talk
About, Dreamer, Ruffian and Seabiscuit. In fact, it was Eleanor's
red chestnut Gift of Gold that was used in the Seabiscuit jumping
scenes ridden by the actor who plays a young Red Pollard. Eleanor
had already ridden the 18 hh, 1750 lb. Hanoverian in Grand Prix and
Mini Prix's. Although the horse was retired, he served a second
career while on loan to the making of the movie. For folks who
desire to learn more about the movie business, Eleanor may offer
clinics with with her friend Rex Peterson, a top Hollywood horse
trainer, who counts trick training as just one of his many aptitudes as
well as with Cari Swanson, a United States Dressage Federation (USDF)
silver medalist who works with Rex. She welcomes other clinicians
as well.

This open, welcoming attitude spills over to charity events, too.
Last year and coming up this year as well, the barn hosts a Polo for
Puppies event, to raise funds for the Texas Hearing and Service Dogs
organization. Other charitable fund raising events will be in
Cheval Manor's future. Both of the owners have a particularly
soft spot in their hearts for dogs and have turned the pack of
vagabonds that have fall into their laps for a variety of reasons into
a well mannered set. Dennis always makes sure he keeps an adopted
Doberman he gets from a rescue group on hand.

To learn more about Cheval Manor, contact Eleanor Boatwright at (512)
695-4338, chevalmanor@aol.com. The facility is located at 13628
Gregg Manor Road, Manor, TX 78653 and visitors are welcome by
appointment.